Niger state in mourning: Boat capsizes en route to mawlid celebration, 42 confirmed dead

• In a heart-wrenching incident, the serene waters of Niger State turned tragic as a boat carrying 300 passengers capsized
• The majority of the passengers were en route to celebrate the annual eid-il-Mawlid at Gbajibo in Mokwa LG
• This disaster has left the community in mourning as rescue operations continue all over the water areas

In a tragic turn of events, the death toll from the recent boat mishap in Niger State has risen to 42.

Six more bodies were recovered by divers and rescue teams from the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) between 6pm on Thursday and 9am on Friday.

Boat capsizes in Niger sate, 42 dead. Photo credit: Lola Farlantes
Source: Getty Images

The Director General of NSEMA, Alhaji Abdullahi Baba Arah, confirmed the recovery, stating, “The recovery of 6 more bodies brought the total number of deaths to 42 on Friday morning.”

Death toll from Niger boat disaster rises to 42

He added that the search and rescue operation is ongoing to recover more victims from the water.

The incident, reported by Daily Trust, involved a boat carrying 300 people, most of whom were heading to Gbajibo in Mokwa LGA for the Mawlid Celebration.

The boat capsized just a short distance from their destination, leading to this devastating loss of life.

Tragedy as 116 killed at religious event in India

Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that A fatal stampede among thousands of people at a religious gathering in northern India has killed around 116 people and left scores injured.

As reported by the Associated Press on Tuesday, July 2, many women and children were among the dead. According to Al Jazeera, a large crowd had gathered in a village in Uttar Pradesh state’s Hathras district for a sermon by a preacher but a fierce dust storm caused panic as people were leaving.

Ashish Kumar, administrator of the Hathras district, narrated to reporters: "The incident happened due to overcrowding at the time when people were trying to leave the venue." Unverified videos on social media showed bodies piled up on the ground outside a local hospital. Senior police officer Shalabh Mathur in Uttar Pradesh state confirmed that 105 people had already died while 84 others were injured and admitted to hospitals.

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Source: Legit.ng